The UPSL Midwest Conference will begin play in four regions - West, North, Central and East - with 23 teams in total set to kick off with league matches in late April.

United Premier Soccer League Midwest Conference Operations Manager Tom Zaiss said, "We're very excited to begin play in the UPSL's Pro Premier Division Midwest Conference in the upcoming Spring Season. The main thing we have to take into account is travel. Obviously, there's a big distance between Nebraska and Michigan, so we grouped the teams as best we can. The teams in Michigan are together, the teams in Wisconsin are together (and) for the most part the teams in Illinois that are in close proximity are together. We hope to have relieved some of the geographical differences."

A four-team playoff pitting the region winners will determine the UPSL Midwest Conference champion and its representative at the UPSL National Playoffs.

The UPSL was formed in 2011 and currently includes more than 130 teams in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. UPSL is the fastest growing Pro Development League in the USA, with 140-plus teams targeted for 2018 Spring Season. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining either UPSL Pro Premier Division or Championship Division minimum standards.

UPSL teams are all eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the leagues affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

More information about UPSL can be found at www.upslsoccer.com or by following the league on Facebook (www.facebook.com/upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).